Warehousing

The new requirements are the product of a taskforce state lawmakers created to study possible legislative solutions after an EF3 tornado tore through half of an Amazon warehouse, killing six employees.

The Illinois General Assembly passed the Warehouse Tornado Preparedness Act — a bill that addresses issues from the fatal Edwardsville tornado in 2021.

“You have to get the foundation laid and then go from there,” said Lynn Cope, whose 29-year-old son, Clayton, was killed by an Edwardsville tornado in December 2021.

Following an Edwardsville tornado that killed six Amazon employees, the Illinois Warehouse Safety Task Force made preliminary recommendations on Tuesday.

Formed after the 2021 tornado that killed six Amazon employees in Edwardsville, the task force is required to submit the report to the Illinois General Assembly by Jan. 1, 2025.

While the exterior of the warehouse was nearly complete about a year after the tornado hit, construction crews have since worked on the interior of the delivery station.

Amazon employees, nurses and workers rights advocates gathered to call out working conditions they say don’t help employees stay healthy.

An Amazon spokesperson said in a statement that the company would welcome the agency into its sites at any time.

In response to the collapse of the Amazon warehouse that killed six employees during a December 2021 tornado, Illinois lawmakers hope to recommend increased safety measures by 2025.

Although the bills would apply to companies beyond Amazon, Bush was clear in saying they were a response to the six warehouse workers who died last year in Edwardsville.